The stamp pays homage to the population of the miners of North, although nothing indicates it. It is the deputy and mayor of Lens which required its emission by wishing that it be done initially exclusively in its city at the time of the trade fair, before the sale is extended to all the territory. The minister preferred the general diffusion to avoid the speculative operations; the stamp will be overloaded in 1940 (number Y&T 489).

Emile Zola, figure eminent of the literary current naturalist, in his book Germinal took widely his inspiration from the the life of the miners and especially from their difficult life and working conditions that it denounced with liveliness. Its book was adapted to the cinema by Claude Berri in 1992 with Renaud, Gerard Depardieu, Miou-Miou, Jean Carmet and Judith Henry in the principal roles. The production occurred in this dark universe from the spoil heaps.

Thepolish emigration, which took place from 1921 to 1923 made it possible to compensate for the losses in labour, in particular in the mines, following the First World War. A population of at least 500 000 people from Polish was thus well integrated in all the miner field of Pas-de-Calais; lots of them knew the celebrity as footballers with Lens.

Lastly, on the stamp devoted above to the school of the Mines of Paris, a miner's lamp is reproduced.

To attend other events.